The Road Less Traveled
by The Last Evenstar
Summary: After Elrond discovers their relationship and sends Aragorn away from Rivendell, he and Arwen are desperate to be together. In defiance of her father's wishes, Arwen rides out of Rivendell to find her beloved. Chaos amd fluff ensue. NOW COMPLETE! YAY!
1. So Far From Home

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The Road Less Traveled

By The Last Evenstar

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Disclaimer: Oh, come on. Do I LOOK like I own _Lord of the Rings_? I don't think so!

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A/N: After a while of just letting my ideas ferment, and coming out with a new story in the process, I decided to go back to what I had wanted originally. A sequel to _Disasters In Waiting. _Don't worry if you haven't read it, you probably don't need to. And a big thank-you to b-witched83uk for reminding me of this story and sending me that handy-dandy Elvish dictionary!

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Chapter One: So Far From Home

Aragorn plodded along despondently, his horse acting as weary as he felt. It had been two weeks since he was sent away from Rivendell. He winced, thinking of the day when Elrond had accidentally discovered the truth about him and Arwen. In a rage, he had told Aragorn to leave Rivendell and never return. All the pleading on his daughter's behalf couldn't change his mind.

Aragorn groaned. He tried not to think about Arwen; tried not to think about the tears running down her beautiful face as she told him not to go. He tried not to think about the way she had kissed him when they parted. He tried not to think about her last words to him.

"When you and Ada come to your senses, Estel," she had said, her chin trembling, "I'll be waiting right here. Just like I promised you." With that, she had turned and fled, leaving him alone in the stables with his heartbreak.

Having nowhere to go, he took the road to Lothlórien. The mountain pass was hard to travel at this time of year, but if anyone could help him resolve his woes, it was the Lady of the Wood. The Lady who had made it possible for him and Arwen to be together.

He hoped she had one more trick up her flowing white sleeve.

~~~~~~~

Arwen glared at her brother as he came into her room and took a seat. "Go away, Elrohir. Can't you see that my heart is broken?"

He sighed. "Don't worry, Undómiel. Ada will soon realize that he is wrong."

She snorted. "Elrond Peredhil? Admit he was wrong? That would throw the whole world off its axis."

The older elf laughed. "You almost reached him the day he sent Estel away. Just keep trying – he'll realize it's impossible to stop destiny in its tracks."

She stared at him. "Elrohir, why do you believe in us? Why are you so sure it will work out?"

He smiled affectionately at her. "Don't forget that we have a touch of foresight. Arwen, when I see you, I can see Luthien. When I see him, I can see Beren. You're treading right in their footprints, ai seler' [little sister]. Can't you tell?"

She had to smile at his words. "Why can't Ada see it, then?"

Her brother shrugged. "His love for you blocks his sight of the truth. He'll come around, Arwen. You just have to wait."

She groaned. "I don't want to wait! I want to be with him NOW!"

He frowned at her outburst. "I'm sorry, Undómiel. But there's no other choice."

As he left the room, Arwen contemplated his words. _No other choice? _she thought, a smile beginning to form at the edges of her lips. For the first time in two weeks she felt happy. _There is another choice._ She bit her lip. Would she dare?

_For three thousand years I've done everything my father commanded, _she realized. _And it's gotten me nowhere._

It's time to take matters into my own hands.

~~~~~~~

Aragorn stopped by a stream to let his horse drink. Kneeling by the water's edge, he splashed its refreshing coolness onto his face. 

He glanced over at his horse, who was lapping up the fresh water eagerly. "What am I to do, Elenaran?" he moaned. "What do you think Elrond meant, exactly, by 'return on pain of death'?" He waited. Nothing. "You know what they say, ask your horse a question . . ." He sighed. ". . . you're going insane."

Elenaran whinnied. Aragorn smiled wanly at him and took a piece of lembas out of the saddlebag. As he was doing so, a scrap of parchment caught his eye.

Frowning, he extracted it. Why . . . ?

He gasped. _I know that writing! _The meal fell to the ground, forgotten. He unfurled the parchment hastily and began to read, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

__

Estel meltha, mela en coiamin,

I suppose if you're reading this, you've been gone a while, because I put it at the very bottom of your food supply.

Rest assured that by now I am missing you terribly. I don't know what to say, nor what the purpose of this note is, save to remind you of the promises we made. "Amin faina uial, [I renounce the Twilight]," I said, "ten' amin mela lle [because I love you]." To this day I hold true to my promise and hope you do to yours. 

I am begging you to come home. Hopefully by now you will have been alone long enough to realize that you must. I know in my heart that as each day passes without you, something in my spirit grows dimmer. Return to me, Estel. Do not heed the words of my father.

Amin mela lle ten'oio ar' tar [I love you forever and beyond],

Arwen

Aragorn was startled to see a tear fall down and stain the worn parchment. He looked accusingly at Elenaran, but the horse shrugged, as if to say, "It's your tear, not mine, because you, not me, are yearning for a far-away love."

He glared at the horse. "You're becoming too wise for your own good." _Great, _he thought. _Talking to my horse. First sign I've been in the wild too long._

He held the parchment in trembling hands. Breathing in its almost-gone scent, he could almost feel Arwen beside him. The paper smelled of niphredil and sunshine, a smell that had been missing from his heart for too long already.

"Pack up, Elenaran," he said finally. "We're going to Rivendell."

If Elenaran had not been a horse, Aragorn was sure he would have been saying, "Took you long enough."

~~~~~~~

Arwen crept silently out of the stables in the black of night. _Just a bit further, _she thought, _and you're home free._

Elentari, her horse, seemed to understand the gravity of the situation and tread as softly as she could. Horse and maiden made their way slowly to the edge of the wood, where Arwen swung silently atop the mare.

"Where do you think you're going?" 

Arwen gasped. Turning, she saw Glorfindel, standing at the edge of the wood with a satisfied smirk. "Ou – out."

He snorted. "Your atar isn't stupid, Arwen. Erestor and I have been keeping watch for two weeks now, just to make sure you don't run off."

She felt hot tears burn at the back of her eyes. "Don't try and stop me, Glorfindel. I'm leaving, and that's that!"

His face softened. "Arwen, don't be rash. We all know your father will come around in a few years or so."

"I'm not going to wait that long!" She was pleading by now. "Please, Glorfindel. Let me go to him. I won't live my life in Atar's shadow anymore."

He seemed to contemplate. At last, he spoke. "I am forbidding you to bring that horse forward, Arwen," he said, winking, "but, I shall step aside in case you wish to disobey."

She grinned. "Hannon lle, quel Aredhel." And with that, she turned her horse and galloped off.

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A/N: Well? If I get reviews, (hint, hint), the next chapter will have FLUFF!


	2. Two Paths Cross

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The Road Less Traveled

By The Last Evenstar

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A/N: Augh! I wrote this chapter and saved it to disk like I always do, but when I tried to open it on my computer everything was messed up! So I had to reformat and was able to save some of it, but I had to rewrite certain sections from memory and as a result this chapter turned out a little screwed up. Don't worry, though, I'll be back on track with the next one (and saving backup copies!).

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Chapter Two: Two Paths Cross

After hours of riding, Arwen realized she had no idea of where she was going. Aragorn could have taken one of many paths – where was he headed?

She took a deep whiff of the forest air, hoping to clear her senses. She was beginning to see the futility of her plan. Aragorn had left two weeks ago and could have gone anywhere. How could she have expected to find him?

"Lle amada [you are a fool]," she muttered to herself. Hot tears began to form in her eyes.

"What can I do?" she whispered. "I can't go back."

She gazed to the East. _If I head for the mountain pass, _she realized, _I could make it to Lothlórien in a matter of weeks. _She smiled, relieved. _Atarara [grandmother] will know what to do._

~~~~~~~

"And you LET HER?" Elrond's rage was palpable.

Glorfindel trembled as he spoke. "I'm sorry, Lord Elrond. She was too quick for me."

"Too quick for you? TOO QUICK FOR YOU? For the Valar's sake, Glorfindel, YOU WERE THE ONE WHO TAUGHT HER TO RIDE!"

The elf bowed, so as to hide a smile. "It seems my generosity has backfired."

Elrond glared at his advisor. "You don't seem very upset about this."

Glorfindel shrugged. "I always thought it was a mistake, my lord, to be so hasty in sending Estel away."

"HASTY?" Elrond roared. "Obviously he's such a bad influence that she chooses to disobey for the first time in two millennia! And I was HASTY to separate them?"

"Well, look how it turned out."

The elf lord groaned. "I just don't know what to do! All of a sudden, she's out of my control!"

"A wild one with an angel's face," Glorfindel observed wryly. "Who could have seen it coming?"

Elladan nodded. "Arwen was always the good one."

His brother elbowed him. "Speak for yourself!"

Elrond turned then on his twin sons. "You two don't seem very displeased with this either!" They only laughed, which caused him to moan in despair. "What is my house coming to? Elleths riding off in the middle of the night and their brothers thinking it's FUNNY!"

Elladan shrugged. "We'll go after her, if you want."

His father only glared. "And return home saying you thought it would be a great joke to send them off together, I'll wager." He thought for a moment. "Send two scouts. Fast ones. Make sure they bring her back." 

Glorfindel nodded and left the room. 

Elrohir grimaced. "Don't you think we should just wait for her to come back, Ada?"

His father was seething. "What makes you think she will?"

"Good point," Elladan noted. "Seeing as you've treated her like a laito."

His father glared at him and stormed out of the room.

Elrohir watched him nervously. "I think you made things worse."

His brother scowled. "It was pretty bad already." He sighed. "I wish there was something we could do." He paused, noticing a gleam in Elrohir's eye. "Oh, no. Oh, no you don't! I absolutely will not take part in some farfetched romantic scheme –" He sighed. "Fine. I will. What's the plan?"

~~~~~~~

Arwen rode fast and hard. She knew there would be someone after her, but whether or not they could take her back to Elrond was dependant upon whether or not they could catch her. 

And they were not going to catch her.

She paused, and slowed Elentari to a trot, leaning over to examine the ground.

She gasped. The trail was marked with fresh hoofprints – they couldn't be more than a week old!

_Estel!_ she thought excitedly. _He must have come this way! Who else would be riding from Rivendell to Lothlórien?_

She beamed and urged Elentari on, rejoicing in this newfound luck. _But is it luck? _she wondered.

A shiver went up her spine. _Or is it destiny?_

~~~~~~~

As Aragorn rode back toward Rivendell, he could feel his heart growing lighter with each passing mile. He rode nonstop, day and night, all the while planning how to sneak in undetected. After all, you didn't grow up in a place without learning a secret or two.

_Why am I doing this? _he asked himself as he rode along. In the two days since turning around he had covered ground that normally took him a week. _That's why, _he thought blissfully. _I'm in love._

Elenaran snorted.

He frowned. "You're a very sarcastic horse, mellonamin."

In a moment he realized that the horse was simply tired. Frowning at his addled mind, he slowed and stopped in a wooden grove. "Just a few moment's rest, Elenaran. Then we're on the road again."

The horse looked at him reproachfully. He grinned. "I know I'm crazy about her."

"She loves you too," said Elenaran. 

Aragorn jumped. It took a moment to register that the voice was not coming from the horse. He whirled around. "Arwen?"

She laughed and flung herself into his arms. "Surprise!"

He kissed her, hard. "I must be hallucinating," he muttered, holding her tightly. "I knew I was going insane."

She grinned and touched his rough cheek. "It's really me. Oh, Estel, I missed you so much!"

And then she was kissing him again, leaving him wondering how on earth this could have happened. "Arwen . . . ?"

She bit her lip. "I ran away."

"From home?" he asked dumbly, still wondering if his loneliness hadn't brought on this vision. Then again, no vision could kiss him like Arwen did . . .

She suddenly looked downtrodden. "I – I didn't want to wait –"

He gaped. "What on earth are we going to do now?"

She smiled again, her eyes lighting up. "I have a few ideas," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He grinned, despite the anguish. "I mean about your father. He probably WILL want me dead now."

Her eyes twinkled. "The way I see it, we have two options. Go back and apologize and beg for forgiveness, or –" she whispered, "run."

He tried to remind himself that he was responsible. Then he remembered that he really wasn't all that responsible. "Running sounds good." He paused. "But we'd have to face him sooner or later, and he'll be much angrier if –"

She cut him off with a swift kiss. "Estel, my father was never angry with me in his life until two weeks ago. I deserve to make the most of it."

He tried to be firm. "Arwen, you and I are not running away together."

"I know," she admitted. "But I thought about going on to Lorien and seeking Galadriel's advice. She'll know better than we do how to deal with Ada."

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "You're really enjoying this disobedience thing, aren't you?"

She grinned. "It is rather exhilarating."

He suddenly pulled her close, making her gasp. "I'll show you exhilarating."


	3. An Evening Star

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The Road Less Traveled

By The Last Evenstar

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A/N: Wow! Thanks for the great reviews, everybody!

Hecate Triformis - When am I going to update? NOW!

Galadwen19 - Reunions are my favorite thing ever. Especially the one in _RotK_.

greenleaf-in-bloom - Glad you thought so!

Evenstar - Sorry. But if you look to the end of the chapter on the fifth day, there shall be FLUFF!

Anamaria Elentari - At least I didn't name her Homa. That name's reserved for my pet oliphaunt.

Kekelina - Thanks! Judging from the reviews, I'm glad I made a sequel too!

b-witched83uk - Disobedience is the only way to go. And I'm thinking about sending Elrond some tweezers.

prettiest in pink - I wish Aragorn would show me exhilarating too. Although I'm pretty sure it's illegal in 48 states.

galadriel evenstar - Well, it's not the SAME exhilarating, but scroll down to the bottom . . .

Evening Nightshade - I love getting new reviewers! Glad you like it!

The Converted - Your reviews always make me laugh. More fluff on the way!

ME132 - I was going to make them run away fully, but I thought that would be to OOC. It's wonderfully romantic, though. I'D run away with him.

Jess - Here you go. Rally the Arwen Fans!

ArwenSolo - Thank you so much. I did. :D

EbonyBeach - Go fluff! Fluff rules!

And finally, here's the story . . . 

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Chapter Three: An Evening Star

"I still say this is madness," Elladan grumbled as they rode along. "And it's not that I'm against madness, but shouldn't we be trying to bring Arwen home? So Ada won't be as mad?"

Elrohir grinned. "You forget, tororamin, that my mind is far superior to yours." Elladan glared, but he continued. "You see, Ada needs time to start worrying. If we make him think something dreadful has happened to Arwen, he'll be so relieved when she returns that he won't even remember being angry."

His twin nodded slowly. "That could work." He paused. "But we're days away from the Homely House. How do we get a message to him?"

Elrohir's grin widened. "We don't. They -" he pointed behind them, to where Glorfindel's scouts rode, "they do."

Elladan shook his head. "I though I was the evil mastermind, but all this time . . ."

His brother smirked. "Real masterminds don't have heads half as big as yours."

"No, they're small in all regards."

Elrohir insisted later that Elladan had fallen out of the saddle completely on his own.

~~~~~~~

Around midday Aragorn and Arwen began to hear a pack of riders drawing closer. Aragorn cocked his head, listening. "Who are they?"

Arwen bit her lip. "I don't know. Ada must have sent them."

His panic was evident. "Well, what do we now?"

Her eyes sparkled. "Ride fast."

Before Aragorn could protest, she was off like a shot.

Colors blurred and shapes raced past. All she could feel was a sense of flying - no, more a sense of SOARING. Every worry, every care, every fear she had was left behind once Elentari picked up speed.

She had ridden fast before, but not THIS fast. She had been happy before, but not THIS happy. She had been free before.

But not this free.

_It's a wonder how simple acts of independence can change your life, _she marveled. _I could go back to Rivendell - or I couldn't. It's all up to me. I am in control._

Aragorn, however, was not in control. In an effort to keep up with her, he had driven Elenaran faster than any human could manage - even the most adept. Arwen slowed to a trot, laughing, as he fought to hang on. "So much for outrunning them," she grinned.

Aragorn scowled. "This horse is out to get me, I swear. Sarcastic beast."

Arwen laughed. She loved him; she loved the dirt on his face and the leaves in his hair and the rips in his cloak, but most of all she loved the look on his face. Hers, however, changed to one of concern as she heard once again the pounding of approaching horsemen. "We won't be able to outrun them." She saw his wounded pride. "It's not your fault - elves ride faster than men."

He shrugged. "I guess we'd better give ourselves up, then. No use running anymore."

Her heart dropped. So much for independence; for taking control of her life. He was right. In the end, her father controlled everything.

"Or -" He grinned. "Or, I know a perfect hiding spot just through those trees."

~~~~~~~

The smile on her face was enough to make him forget everything else as he led her through the underbrush, taking care to mask their trail. The horses, being wise, if a bit sarcastic, we in front, trying not to make a sound.

Finally, they reached the perfect hiding spot. It was smaller and dirtier than Aragorn remembered it, and he tried to mask his dismay as he looked around.

There was a small pool directly beneath a tiny waterfall, behind which a perfectly-sized rock formation was aptly positioned to hide everything in sight. The place did not compare to the gardens of Rivendell, for, instead of being a sparkling blue, the water was a clear greenish tint. Many of the trees were dead, and the terrain was laden with brown leaves and gray branches. Still, it had an air of dignified simplicity to it, and Aragorn looked anxiously over at Arwen as they led the horses behind the waterfall.

To his surprise, she was staring at it rapturously. "It's _perfect._" She turned to him. "It's so _real._ So simple." She sighed and sat down on a rock. "Forget what I said about Lothlórien - let's stay HERE."

Aragorn was also awestruck. "Beautiful," he murmured, but he wasn't looking at the waterfall. He was looking at the maiden behind it.

Arwen grinned, ducking down behind the rocks. "I think we may have to be stuck here quite a while."

"Too bad," Aragorn agreed, sitting down next to her. "Looks like we're in for a long wait."

~~~~~~~

"I have decided . . ." Elladan paused. "I have decided that my life is not worth living. So I'm going to jump in the river."

Elrohir glared. "He is NOT jumping in the river, Elladan. We don't want Ada to think he's DEAD."

"Why not?"

"You'd get his hopes up," Elrohir replied glumly. "We just need to get him out of the picture." He began to dictate. "Dear Elrond, Because I am barred from seeing my beloved ever again I have decided to renounce my trade and join an order of monks far away in Arnor."

"That's no better than mine was!" his brother cried. "This isn't a pathetic love story!"

"Write it down anyway!"

"Fine," Elladan grumbled, scribbling away. "'. . . and perhaps when I get there I'll jump off the bell tower. Who knows?'"

"'But maybe I'll come back instead to kill your son -'"

"'Elrohir, who is a gigantic -'"

"'Hero, and should be treated like one, while stupid Elladan -'"

"'And when I say stupid, I mean incredibly good-looking -'"

"'Because he doesn't look AT ALL like his brother,'" Elrohir added sarcastically.Elladan quickly reread the letter. "You know, this doesn't sound much like Estel at all."

"Ah, just add 'give my best to Arwen' or something; he'll never know the difference."

Elladan kept writing. "How about, 'If she doesn't want to die a virgin you'll know where to find me -'"

"Elladan!"

"All right, we'll take that last part out!"

~~~~~~~

As night began to fall and the stars emerged silently from hiding, Aragorn and Arwen lay behind the waterfall, completely lost in each other.

"It's indescribable," she whispered, leaning her head against his rough cheek.

He took her face in his hands and kissed her. It was hard and soft and deep and light all at the same time. She was floating, without a sensation of body or mind, and meanwhile she felt everything: the breeze in her hair and his hands on her cheek and the shiver running up her spine.

She could feel the beat of his heart, racing with hers in perfect time. They held each other so tightly that they could have been one, not two. There was no time, no reality, as they lay back against the rock, entwined in each other's arms. Arwen was surprised that her skin was able to remain intact through the incredible feeling that she was about to burst with happiness and desire.

As she paused to catch her breath everything came flooding back, and she saw it more clearly than ever. Her father; the life she loved and was giving up. One look into his eyes and she knew that he understood.

"Amin mela lle," she whispered, as they lay back, huddled together, and stared up at the twinkling sky. "Ar' amin umuva ten'oio [and I will forever]."

He looked up at the brightest star in the sky. "Make a wish, Undómiel."

She paused. After a moment, he kissed her softly. "Goodnight, mela en coiamin."

She smiled to herself in the dark. _That was prompt in coming true._


	4. Desperados

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The Road Less Traveled

By The Last Evenstar

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A/N: Sorry I've been taking so long to update. It's a busy world out there! 

Your reviews never fail to delight me. So keep them coming!

Larinde - Waterfalls are always romantic. And twins are always funny.

galadriel evenstar - No, there won't be any kids in this story! I'm beginning to think your powers of perception are more of a guessing game . . . 

The Converted - I love Elladan and Elrohir. And you're right, that letter doesn't stand much of a chance.

ME132 - Fluff rules the world! So do Elladan and Elrohir. I just can't resist using them . . . they're SO funny . . .

Blackbird10 - Thank you! Of course Middle-Earth had monks. Maybe. And my English teacher could probably care less about me.

Galadwen19 - Thank you. A lot of people seemed to like that line! Although I'm probably too young to think about such things . . .

b-witched83uk - Mmmmm, dreaming about running away with Aragorn . . . why do you think I wrote this?

prettiest in pink - Okay, so it won't be illegal, but if you steal him I swear I . . . won't be able to do anything about it.

greenleaf-in-bloom - I love them too. All my letters from now on will be written schizophrenically.

Anamaria Elentari - The circus was MY idea, therefore I get to name the oliphaunts. And their names are Homa, Chewy, and Ka the Magnificent. So there.

Cerridwen-Evereven - Thank you very much! I'm enjoying writing it!

Queen Arwen - I'm glad you love it! The horse is really me . . . yes, that would make it a self-insertion fic . . . 

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Chapter Four: Desperados

"Who does he think he's fooling?" whispered Elladan. "Everybody knows this place is an ideal hideout. It's only a matter of time before they come through here and spot the horses."

"They're probably going to leave soon," Elrohir argued. "Estel isn't stupid. They just needed a safe place to spend the night –"

"That better be all they did," interrupted his brother. "I'm choosing to believe, for both their sakes, that they simply fell asleep like that . . ."

Elrohir only looked amused. "Of course they did. Come on, let's go wake them up." He started through the underbrush.

Elladan rubbed his knuckles. "I'm going to teach him a lesson about taking advantage of young elleths –"

Elrohir rolled his eyes. "You're one to talk." He climbed behind the waterfall.

Arwen leapt up. "Elrohir!" She glanced around nervously. "What are you –"

Her brother grinned. "Mae govannen, ai seler'."

She scowled at them both. "If Ada sent you to drag me home –"

"He did," Elladan interrupted. "But we won't."

"His party of scouts, on the other hand," his brother added, "will. And they're very close."

Arwen gulped. "Send them away. I – I'll write Ada a note, explaining . . ."

"Oh, he already has a note." Elladan looked guilty.

Arwen groaned. "What did you do to me now?"

"Well –" Elrohir paused. "Estel has run off to a monastery."

Arwen glanced at the sleeping form beside her. "He has not!"

Her brother suddenly brightened. "You COULD write him a letter! Saying you've gone to fetch him back!"

"From the monastery?" Arwen groaned. "If it will get him off my back."

Aragorn stirred sleepily. "Who ran off to a monastery?"

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"You have," Arwen grinned. "And I'm coming to fetch you home."

The ranger rolled back over. "In the morning."

Elladan glanced up at the rising sun. "What does he classify as morning?"

"Humans need their sleep," Arwen shot back. "We were . . . up very late last night." As Elladan raised his knife, she hastily added, "Just talking!"

Elrohir smiled at his little sister. "Of course. Arwen has her honor."

Elladan growled. "Not too much of it."

"Oh, be quiet." Arwen took a sheet of parchment from her brother. "There, I'll write a letter telling him not to worry." She frowned. "And that I'm only coming back if I want to."

Elrohir yawned. "Of course, when Estel joined the monastery he took a vow of loneliness –"

He ducked just in time to escape the flying bottle of ink.

~~~~~~~

Two hours later, Aragorn and Arwen were on the road again, this time by a secret path Elrohir assured them was never traveled anymore, at least not in thousands of years.

Arwen scowled. "I thought we'd never get rid of them."

Aragorn smiled affectionately at her. "They're your brothers. They care about you."

She grinned a little. "Sometimes too much."

He stopped to break away the brambles covering the path. "Elrohir was right. No one's been here in a very long time."

She gazed ahead. "It looks like a difficult path. There's a huge tree blocking the way up there."

He looked around. "The trees are too thick and thorny to find another way. Your brother has to much faith in our navigating ability."

She gasped as realization flooded into her eyes. "No, he doesn't. He thinks we'll make it, and we will. I know we will."

He peered over at her. "We're not talking about the path anymore, are we?"

She shook her head, smiling. "It may be a road less traveled, but it still leads to Lothlórien. And," she said, looking over at him with love in her eyes, "it will be all the more beautiful once we arrive."

He looked her in the eye. "I think it's beautiful now."

~~~~~~~

It was late afternoon before they reached a rocky, mountainous incline that neither had the strength to pass just then. Arwen tied to horses to a tree and rummaged around in her pack for something to eat.

She smiled and pulled out a bottle of fine Elvish wine. "I don't know what I was thinking when I packed this."

Aragorn grinned and spread his cloak over the dirty ground. "Come, my lady. Let us dine in style." He grabbed a sprig of flowers from the ground and bowed low. "For you, fair maiden."

They were dirty and quite dead, but Arwen took them nevertheless and tucked one behind her ear. "Thank you. They're beautiful."

He laughed and sat down. "You're wonderful, Arwen."

She smiled and sat next to him, touched by the unexpected compliment. "I love you," she whispered, and kissed him gently on the mouth. "How did I survive before you came along?"

He pulled her close and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I imagine you did quite well."

She grinned. "Elrohir says you've improved my temperament drastically."

He kissed the top of her head. "I'm sure you've been lovely all your long life."

She laughed. "And look what you've done to me. On the run from my own Atar!"

He looked at her seriously. "Do you want to go back?"

She paused. The road behind her was already clear, but waiting at the end would be her father – and admitting defeat. In front of her was a sharp incline, cold and hard, but, she smiled, nothing she couldn't handle if it meant being with Aragorn – something her father would have to accept sooner or later.

This road had not been traveled since the days of Beren and Luthien, but it was high time to clear the path. And there was no one better to do it than her and Estel.

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, long and hard. "Let's not," she whispered in his ear. "I'm up for a challenge."

****

FIN


End file.
